Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children is now freely available.
Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children Book Cover.webp

In this book, we analyze the psycho-social consequences faced by Indian American children after exposure to the school textbook discourse on Hinduism and ancient India. We demonstrate that there is an intimate connection—an almost exact correspondence—between James Mill’s colonial-racist discourse (Mill was the head of the British East India Company) and the current school textbook discourse. This racist discourse, camouflaged under the cover of political correctness, produces the same psychological impacts on Indian American children that racism typically causes: shame, inferiority, embarrassment, identity confusion, assimilation, and a phenomenon akin to racelessness, where children dissociate from the traditions and culture of their ancestors.


This book is the result of four years of rigorous research and academic peer-review, reflecting our ongoing commitment at Hindupedia to challenge the representation of Hindu Dharma within academia.

Dantadhāvana

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Dantadhavana literally means ‘cleaning the teeth’.

Sages were very particular about personal hygiene since cleanliness of the body and the surroundings was conducive to the cleanliness and peace of mind. Hence, the writers of the dharmaśāstras have dealt with this aspect of one’s life, generally grouped under the titles āhnika and ācāra, in meticulous details.

Dantadhāvana or cleaning one’s teeth is one of the earliest acts in one’s daily routine. It is generally done with a small piece of a twig with its bark, taken from certain specified plants or trees having medicinal properties after shaping it like a toothbrush by crushing one of its ends. It is interesting to note that even this simple act of cleaning one’s teeth has to be accompanied by the chanting of certain mantras, the main purport of which is prayer for a long life, health, strength and also good memory and intelligence. It is to be repeated, though in a modified form, in the night also.


References[edit]

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Dantadhāvana&oldid=134066"